GRcade

Launch trailer - get goddamn hype

That's right, the demolition duo are back on PS4! The bundle contains all four Naughty Dog developed Jak and Daxter games, including the original main trilogy (Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Jak II, Jak 3) plus the racing game Jak X - it's first re-release since coming out on PS2 in 2005!

More info from the EU PlayStation Blog

• Jak II, Jak 3, and Jak X Combat Racing hit PS4 on 6th December
• 5 big new PlayStation Store releases you need to check out this week

All four are excellent games - from the pure 3D platforming fun of TPL through to the explosive arcade kart racing of Jak X. It's hard for me to pick a favourite (these are some of my favourite games of all time after all), but I probably settle on Jak II for a combination of the story and challenge.

Some people here might tell you that the series went in a worse direction with the sequels, but those people are objectively wrong. If the purer platforming of the first game is more your jam however, I do encourage you to check out Daxter and Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier on PSP (TLF was also released on PS2, and both can be played on Vita).

If you're wondering how this bundle compares to the originals or the PS3 HD remaster, I'm not sure! (We can hopefully at least assume them to be better than the Vita port of the HD trilogy.) I've heard iffy things about how TPL runs on PS4 (it was released earlier this year on its own) but hopefully things have been improved with the sequels. We shall see!

One unfortunate caveat is that Jak X does not support online play like it did back on the PS2, and I have heard nothing about the unlockable extras originally obtained by having a Ratchet: Gladiator save file, or linking up a PSP with Daxter. Which is a shame, because the Daxtermobile was great

All that said, is anyone else getting in on some Jak action? I can't wait to get home tonight and download the bundle. First order of business, TPL in a single sitting

I’ve played Jak II about 3 times and it’s still a largely joyless experience, for the most part. The sheer difficulty in a lot of places is just so infuriating. I recall liking Jak 3 a lot more, so hopefully I can buy that on its own.
I played and finished TPL on PS4 when it came out, and it runs fairly well - there’s a touch of slowdown in parts, and the jumping takes a bit of getting used to. It’s probably always been that way, though.

The first game was great, but the sequels were so bad, they should have taken this direction:

Buffalo wrote:I’ve played Jak II about 3 times and it’s still a largely joyless experience, for the most part. The sheer difficulty in a lot of places is just so infuriating. I recall liking Jak 3 a lot more, so hopefully I can buy that on its own.

The difficulty spikes in Jak II are definitely a fair criticism, I just personally really enjoy the increased challenge. Having played the games so much it's hard for me to assess them from a newcomer perspective, but Jak 3 is definitely easier and probably more accessible for it.

Gameplay-wise I don't think Jak II and Jak 3 are that far apart though, with 3 being an extension on 2 with more of a vehicle focus (and all the car gameplay that led to).

Buffalo wrote:I played and finished TPL on PS4 when it came out, and it runs fairly well

Good to know

rinks wrote:The first game was great, but the sequels were so bad, they should have taken this direction:

Ban request

Should throw in Daxter too, I really enjoyed it on PSP. Don't know what the other PSP entry in the series was like but I've heard it was a bit of a duffer.

IAmTheSantaMan wrote:Should throw in Daxter too, I really enjoyed it on PSP. Don't know what the other PSP entry in the series was like but I've heard it was a bit of a duffer.

Daxter really is excellent, and is the better of the two games. The Lost Frontier is far from bad though - it got some good reviews and I personally really enjoy it. It got quite a backlash from the Jak fanbase because of some of the character portrayals and changes to the lore (and I'll admit Dark Daxter is a bit of a werehog misstep), but I think the criticism is unfair because it's a solid game. The aerial dogfighting is done really well and is a suitable evolution for a series that has continuously explored new mechanics, especially involving vehicles.

TLF is also closer to TPL than Jak II or Jak 3, with more TPL-like environments and a return to eco-based powerups.

I remember loving Jak 2 when it was new and was surprised to find out it was hated by so many people years later. It was the only one in the series I'd played though, I'll pick it up on PS4 when it's cheap and see if I feel the same way.

Loved Jak and Daxter (completed it again relatively recently on PS3) but couldn't get on with Jak II at all. Never played Jak 3 or X.

Jak 2 came out in this post GTA3/Vice City world where everything suddendly had to have guns in it, be edgy, or have a huge open world.

What did me in though was the difficulty spikes, and all the backtracking/driving you had to do if you failed a mission. You had this vast city to navigate and if I recall correctly it was nigh on pointless, because the missions took place in seperate areas off this central hub. You also had to avoid the police. Then there was some hoverboard levels that played out like Tony Hawks that I remember was very difficult.

I was really looking forward to Jak II prior to release, especially after PSM2 went crazy for it (90+%) and then Sony sent me this silver box in the post - and I can't remember why - but it had a flashing red bike light, Jak II related postcards and literature, a demo disc of the game, and the entire coffee-table guide book (which I still have). So when I finally played the game that Christmas my enthusiasm began draining away with every passing hour.

In comparison, I still think Jak and Daxter is the best platformer besides Mario Sunshine and Ratchet and Clank from the PS2 era. That whole beach/jungle/fishing/herding cows-but-not-cows section - maybe the opening 3/4 hours - was perfect.

KK wrote:and then Sony sent me this silver box in the post - and I can't remember why - but it had a flashing red bike light, Jak II related postcards and literature, a demo disc of the game, and the entire coffee-table guide book (which I still have).

Oh man I would love to see pics of any of these if you still have them. The Jak II and 3 strategy guides were really nice too.

OrangeReindeer wrote:and I have heard nothing about the unlockable extras originally obtained by having a Ratchet: Gladiator save file, or linking up a PSP with Daxter.

Update: Apparently these unlocks now come from having "Uncharted Collection" save files. If Uncharted 4 doesn't count, I need to buy myself the Uncharted Collection!

Jak II goes up on limited run games today. I missed out on TPL, which was exceptionally upsetting, but I think if I miss out on Jak II I might cry. Reading up in advance the game doesn't even get reserved when checking out, so you have to race to complete the order

Limited Run Games

My bank decided to strawberry floating block the transaction on my card and then it was sold out literally what the strawberry float

Second batch goes up at 9pm but we don't have internet in the new house yet so I doubt I'll have much luck on my phone :/

I managed to get the Jak II collector's edition after signing up to the waiting list for cancelled orders, and it arrived a couple of days ago

Crash Bandicoot is gaming's greatest quadrilogy. 1, 2, 3 and TwinSanity.
Wrath of Cortex and any of the handheld/post-TwinSanity games do not exist.

Haven't ever given Jak a fair chance, aside from Daxter which was fun for a mid2000s handheld game.

AnOpenCasket wrote:Crash Bandicoot is gaming's greatest quadrilogy. 1, 2, 3 and TwinSanity.
Wrath of Cortex and any of the handheld/post-TwinSanity games do not exist.

Haven't ever given Jak a fair chance, aside from Daxter which was fun for a mid2000s handheld game.

The first Jak & Daxter might as well be Crash Bandicoot 4 as it came closer to Mark Cerny's original vision than Wrath of Cortex did.

AnOpenCasket wrote:Crash Bandicoot is gaming's greatest quadrilogy. 1, 2, 3 and TwinSanity.
Wrath of Cortex and any of the handheld/post-TwinSanity games do not exist.

Haven't ever given Jak a fair chance, aside from Daxter which was fun for a mid2000s handheld game.

If this is your opinion now you should definitely give Jak and Daxter a play

Daxter is brilliant, I still replay it now

Should be pretty easy to pick up a PS2 for cheap with those games (my PlayStation is long gone) so will get on this soon

Precursor Legacy is still one of my absolute favourite PS2 games.